Single-handle water faucets suitable for commercial and residential use are well-known. These faucets include a base plate, an upwardly extending main body portion, a discharge segment or spout, and a centrally located handle. A mixing valve or cartridge is positioned within the main body and includes a vertically extending joystick that is operably connected to the handle. A hot water line or conduit is connected to a hot water inlet of the cartridge and a cold water line or conduit is connected to a cold water inlet of the cartridge. The cartridge also includes a mixed water outlet, and a discharge line extends from the water outlet through the spout to provide water for discharge. In operation, an operator actuates the handle to discharge water through the spout at a desired temperature and volume. Conventional single-handle water faucets suffer from a number of limitations that negatively affect their performance, durability and cost of manufacture. For example, conventional water faucets locate the mixed water outlet in the rear portion of the cartridge and as a result, the discharge line assumes an unnecessarily long and circuitous path to the spout that compromises durability and installation of the cartridge in the faucet body.
The present invention is provided to solve these limitations and to provide advantages and aspects not provided by conventional faucet mixing valves or cartridges. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.